MMCC Commissioner Bio's

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Brian
P. Lopez (Chairman)

Mr.
Lopez is a partner and executive vice president for a real estate investment and development company, where he oversees the
company’s multi-family and affordable housing portfolio. Prior to joining
Osprey Property Company, he was a loan officer for AGM Financial Services,
Inc., and a project manager for Safeway, Inc. Mr. Lopez received his Master’s
in Real Estate Development from Johns Hopkins University. He fills the position
for a member of the public with fiduciary experience who supports medical
cannabis positions on the Commission.

Ehsan
Abdeshahian, M.D.

Dr.
Abdeshahian serves as a staff physician with specialties in pain and sports
medicine. He earned his medical degree from St. George’s University in Grenada,
Spain and completed his residency training at the State University of New
York—Downstate University Hospital. Dr. Abdeshahian fills one of the three
licensed physician positions on the Commission.

Jinlene
Chan, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr.
Chan is the assistant secretary of health with the Maryland Department of
Health. She developed and implemented initiatives to improve the behavioral
health care system in Anne Arundel County by working closely with mental
health, social services, and criminal justice partners as well as working on
infant health initiatives, chronic disease prevention programs, and public
health emergency preparedness planning. She completed her medical training at
the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., and residencies
in pediatrics and general preventive medicine at the Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore, Md. Dr. Chan also holds a Master of Public Health degree from
Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. She serves the
Commission as the Maryland Department of Health’s appointee.

Nancy
Rosen-Cohen, Ph.D.

Ms.
Rosen-Cohen is an executive management professional with substantial experience
in health care reform and corporate development. She was appointed to the
Governor’s Medical Marijuana Model Program Workgroup in 2011. This group was
responsible for developing a model program for facilitating patient access to marijuana
for medical purposes. Ms. Rosen-Cohen earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Special
Education from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in Special
Education from Butler University. Ms. Rosen-Cohen serves the Commission as the
President/Speaker appointee.

Phillip
Cogan, R.Ph.

​Mr. Cogan is a past
president of the Maryland Pharmacists Association and is the pharmacy representative
on the Commission. He has an extensive career of service at the national, state
and county levels. He was Chief of Clinical Pharmacy Services for the Maryland
Medicaid Program and a member of the Governor’s Medical Marijuana Model Program
Work Group as well as assistant director for the Governor’s Executive Advisory
Board. His federal career began as a U.S. Public Health Service officer
assigned to the U.S. FDA. Subsequently, he served as: a DEA special agent; head
of the DEA Regulatory Investigations Program; the director of Investigative
Systems Division at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of
Inspector General and as deputy director of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking
Area Program in the White House Drug Policy Office. Mr. Cogan is a volunteer
member of the Maryland Board of Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness Taskforce,
Maryland and Howard County Medical Reserve Corps and treasurer of the Howard
County Community Emergency Resiliency Network.

​Konrad
Dawson, M.D.

Dr.
Dawson has a private medical practice in the metropolitan Washington, DC area
that provides plastic and reconstructive surgery. He is board certified by the
American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Plastic Surgery. He earned
his medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn. The college is one of the nation’s
oldest and largest historically black academic health science centers dedicated
to educating physicians, dentists, researchers, and health policy experts.
Dr. Dawson was appointed to the Commission to represent the interest of
licensed physicians from Maryland.

Megan Dingus, M.S.N.

Ms. Dingus is a nurse practitioner specializing in hospice and palliative medicine. As the nurse practitioner, she manages the day-to-day activities of her palliative care team across multiple business units. She regularly advises patients and families on prevention, promotion, and health maintenance issues as they relate to symptom management and end-of-life care. She is a member of the Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Ms. Dingus was appointed to the Commission as the hospice care practitioner who was nominated by a state-wide trade association.

Elizabeth Q. Hines, M.D.

Dr.
Hines is a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics that specializes in
pediatric emergency medicine. She earned her medical degree from Emory
University in Atlanta, Georgia and completed her residency training at Johns
Hopkins University, School of Medicine. She completed fellowships at Johns
Hopkins University, School of Medicine in pediatric emergency medicine and New
York University, School of Medicine in medical toxicology. Dr. Hines is board
certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in pediatric emergency medicine
and pediatrics.Dr. Hines was
appointed to the Commission to represent the interest of health/addiction
specialist from Maryland.

Charles
P. LoDico, M.S., Ph.D.

Mr.
LoDico is a senior chemist/toxicologist for the Department of Health and Human
Services. He received his Master’s in Pharmacology/Toxicology from Long Island
University, School of Pharmacy. Mr. LoDico, who has been widely published in
peer-reviewed journals and was nominated by the University of Maryland Medical
Center. His appointment fills a position for a scientist with experience in the
science of cannabis and nominated by a state research institution on the
Commission.

C. Obi
Onyewu, M.D.

Dr. Onyewu is a fellowship-trained and double
board-certified pain medicine specialist. After receiving his medical degree
from Temple University, School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Dr. Onyewu
completed his residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Georgetown
University Hospital in Washington, D.C. He followed that with a pain medicine
fellowship at the Mid-Atlantic Pain Institute in Delaware. Dr. Onyewu was
appointed to the Commission to represent the interest of licensed physicians
from Maryland.

Tiffany
D. Randolph, J.D.

Ms.
Randolph is an attorney that concentrates on the defense of medical malpractice
claims. She defends physicians, hospitals and health care institutions at the
trial level in cases alleging medical malpractice negligence. Ms. Randolph’s
litigation experience demonstrates fact and expert discovery, motions practice,
defending and deposing expert witnesses, as well as bench and jury trials in
the Maryland district and circuit courts. Ms. Randolph earned her law degree
from the University of Maryland, School of Law and her undergraduate degree
from the University of Virginia. She fills the position as the Speaker’s
appointee on the Commission.

Saundra
O. Washington

Ms.
Washington is co-founder and executive director of an organization that
provides social services to Maryland residents. As the executive director, she
oversees the organization’s programs which include human services, health
services, transportation, and economic development. Her knowledge of
organizational development allowed her to develop the Regional Alzheimer's
office in southern Maryland more than 24 years ago. Ms. Washington has received
a number of gubernatorial appointments including the Judicial Nominating
Committee. She has been recognized for her achievements that include: Charles
County Sheriff's Award; Charles County Commission for Women Trailblazer Award;
the Salome Howard Award and an award for serving on the Charles County
Commissioners' Nonprofits Grants Advisory Panel. Ms. Washington fills the
position as health/addiction specialist from Maryland.

Scott
Welsh

Mr.
Welch is the owner of an agricultural facility that maintains 160,000 square
feet of greenhouse space and 100,000 square feet of outdoor growing areas. He
manages the day-to-day operations and works closely with local growers and
farmers to produce cuttings, seedlings, and finished products for resale
throughout the state. Welsh fills the position of an individual with experience
in horticulture/agriculture and recommended by the Department of Agriculture on
the Commission.​